l to r: DC Bucky Buchanan, Mayor Janice Kovach and Councilman RB Smith from Town of Clinton, and Chief Frank Setnicky take delivery of our newest ambulance from the Town.

CLINTON, NJ (HUNTERDON) - The Clinton First Aid & Rescue Squad, Inc is pleased to announce the arrival of our newest vehicle, BLS 45-56. This new ambulance is an addition to our fleet, bringing our total number of ambulances to six, as we continue to see double digit increases to our requests for service this year.

"We would like to thank the Mayor, Council and Residents of the Town of Clinton who made this vehicle possible" stated Frank Setnicky, Chief of the Squad. He continued saying, "the support we continue to receive for our volunteer run department is second to none, and we greatly appreciate it".

The squad last purchased an ambulance using donated dollars in March 2013, replacing a vehicle that was close to 14 years old and over 150,000 miles. With the addition of another unit, it will allow the organization to rotate our fleet, extending the life of some of our older units. ​Another new addition that is included with this ambulance is a hydraulic stretcher system. "One of the biggest risks our members face is that of back injuries" stated H. Bucky Buchanan, Deputy Chief of EMS. "By helping to reduce the number of times our members need to left patients will help the health and safety of our responders". The Squad hopes to be able to upgrade all of their stretcher systems in 2016 through a competitive Federal Grant they have applied for. "At a total cost over a quarter million dollars to upgrade all our ambulances with this new safety feature, it would not be possible for us with the assistance of grant funds" concluded Deputy Chief Buchanan.

BLS 45-56 will hopefully be in service serving the Town of Clinton and our other response areas early next year after all equipment is installed and it completes an inspection by the State of New Jersey Department of Health.

The Clinton First Aid & Rescue Squad provides Basic Life Support (BLS) and Rescue services (vehicle extrication, water rescue, collapse, trench, rope and confined-space rescue) to the Town of Clinton, a majority of Clinton Twp., all of Lebanon Borough, and portions of the Township of Franklin and the Township of Union. With a coverage area of approximately 52 square miles and a call volume that exceeds 2,600 calls per year, the squad utilizes a combination of volunteer and supplemental paid personnel to insure in-house staffing around the clock. The squad operates 5 ambulances, a rescue truck, a special services vehicle, off-road ambulance, 3 boats, two command vehicles and trailers for staging/support services as well as technical rescue services. The Squad relies heavily on donations, which can be made on the Squad's website at http://www.clintonems.org. Community members interested in volunteering with the Squad can complete an application on the same website.

It is good to hear that this organization is working so well and add some more ambulance to help the people. This type of the thing is so important and in this way you can satisfy your heart. I really love this kind of the deed.